2017 Bill Beaumont County Championship Division 1

The 2017 County Championships saw a new competition structure introduced across all three divisions. In tier 1 there were now twelve teams instead of the eight from 2016, with six counties in the northern group, and six in the southern group. To complicate matters further, each county only played three games per group instead of five. This meant that some counties had two home games, while the others had just one. The RFU plans to switch this around the following year so that teams that played one home game in 2017 will get two during the 2018 competition - it is assumed that this is against the three teams in the group they did not play the previous season. At the end of the group stage the top teams with the best record from each group (north and south) advanced to the final held on 28 May 2017 at Twickenham Stadium. A further change will see relegation occur every two seasons instead of one, with points accumulated over the two seasons taken into consideration. This system will also apply to promoted teams in tier 2. ==Participating Counties and ground locations==

Division 1 North • If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order: • Number of matches won • Difference between points for and against • Total number of points for • Aggregate number of points scored in matches between tied teams • Number of matches won excluding the first match, then the second and so on until the tie is settled Round 1 ---- Round 2 ---- Round 3 Division 1 South • If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order: • Number of matches won • Difference between points for and against • Total number of points for • Aggregate number of points scored in matches between tied teams • Number of matches won excluding the first match, then the second and so on until the tie is settled ;Notes Round 1 ---- Round 2 ---- Round 3 ==Final==

• Does not include final at Twickenham which is a neutral venue and involves teams from all three county divisions on the same day ==Individual statistics==

• Note if players are tied on tries or points the player with the lowest number of appearances will come first. Also note that points scorers includes tries as well as conversions, penalties and drop goals. Appearance figures also include coming on as substitutes (unused substitutes not included). Statistics will also include final. Top points scorers Top try scorers ==Competition records==

Team ;Largest home win — 46 points 61 - 15 Yorkshire at home to Eastern Counties on 20 May 2017 ;Largest away win — 45 points 56 - 11 Cornwall away to Devon on 13 May 2017 ;Most points scored — 61 points 61 - 15 Yorkshire at home to Eastern Counties on 20 May 2017 ;Most tries in a match — 9 Yorkshire at home to Eastern Counties on 20 May 2017 ;Most conversions in a match — 8 Yorkshire at home to Eastern Counties on 20 May 2017 ;Most penalties in a match — 3 Yorkshire at home to Cheshire on 6 May 2017 ;Most drop goals in a match — 0 Player ;Most points in a match — 20 Sam Goatley for Gloucestershire at home to Devon on 6 May 2017 ;Most tries in a match — 4 Sam Goatley for Gloucestershire at home to Devon on 6 May 2017 ;Most conversions in a match — 5 (x3) Calum Irvine for Yorkshire at home to Northumberland on 20 May 2017 James Moffat for Gloucestershire at home to Surrey on 20 May 2017 Matthew Shepherd for Cornwall at home to Hertfordshire on 20 May 2017 ;Most penalties in a match — 3 Calum Irvine for Yorkshire at home to Cheshire on 6 May 2017 ;Most drop goals in a match — 0 Attendances ;Highest — 3,525 Cornwall at home to Hertfordshire on 13 May 2017 ;Lowest — 150 Gloucestershire at home to Devon on 6 May 2017 ;Highest Average Attendance — 3,525 Cornwall ;Lowest Average Attendance — 150 Gloucestershire ==See also==